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Thursday DECLUTTERING!

This Week's Challenge: Extra spaces! Whether it's spare rooms, guests rooms, school rooms, craft rooms, basements, garages, etc take the time to tidy up the places we don't spend a ton of time in.

School Challenge: Christmas crafts and art- anyone doing any? Prepare supplies and make some plans.

Inspiring Thought: Wonder aroused only by sensational things is satiable, because they have a disgusting way of becoming usual and ordinary. When men find occasion to wonder only at the extraordinary or spectacular, it is the surest sign that wonder is already dead.

The wonder that is ceaseless, that can never be exhausted, has always to do with what is usual and close at hand; for the marvel of a thing has less to do with its frequency than with its contingency. - Thomas Green

For me today:

school and morning meeting

art project

get glasses fixed

errands- while out for the glasses

update planner

mop the kitchen floor

tidy my studio space

work on card design- what I picked may be too hard. I'll try again.

prep chicken- I may cook it early and then shred it for bbq sandwiches.

finalize menu for Sunday

bake cookies

clean two bathrooms

blog work

nature journal- probably where I will practice card painting

The clouds and sun are doing some fun things this morning, but my guess is it will be cloudy for the most part today. There will be some snow flurries too. Of course, I am hopeful for a good snowfall soon so that we can drive on top of the snow and have a reason for having purchased new snow tires. Also, sledding.

It's another COLD day for AL, and it'll be colder tomorrow with possible snow. Amazing!

Don't think we'll have a homeschool day today

In less than an hour, I'm headed (with the 3 younger kids) to Columbus to the commissary. We'll probably stop by a store and do a bit of Christmas shopping. The boys will get haircuts. We'll buy groceries.

I'd think we'll be home about 1-2.
But, with the potential weather for tomorrow, I'm considering rescheduling allergy shots for this afternoon vice tomorrow (people drive CRAZY when there's even a hint of snow around here). That would mean coming home, unloading, and then driving to Tuscaloosa. Hmmmmmmmm.
Plus, tonight, Jim and I have a work dinner party at a nice restaurant that starts at 6:30. FREE date night

Good Morning!
It's cold and grey this morning. 30*F. There's lots of snow patches on the radar, but none over us.

Thursday through Sunday need to be my big days for getting things done, and last weeks go-around wasn't very successful. So, I'm trying again this week.
I have my to-do list ready... it's the same one from last week.

So far I've done some internet trolling , and putting books on hold at the library. That last one was on my list.

I'm working on Art/Music Appreciation right now. Have any of you used the Harmony Fine Arts lessons before? I finally decided to try one and I love it. We are finally being more consistent with our art and composer studies, though I'm severely lacking on the notebooking part right now. I've never been able to keep up with notebooking with the boys. Sigh. But the rest is great!

Coming to check online for a recipe and popped in here before we leave....

CINDY -- I've never done well with notebooking with my boys, either It's just not their "style" or bent or whatever. I can read to them all day long. We can take rabbit trails. We can look up info. But, they do not want to cut and paste and journal. So be it. They're learning. There's just not much "record" Just ask them about it, though

Cindy- I'm with Paige. It depends on the kid. I have a couple who really do notebooking well and some who do not. My 15yo boy loves to notebook. Like LOVES it. Cut, paste, journal, the whole deal. The 12yo? no way! But, he is learning and telling...lots and lots of telling. E used to do a nice notebook. Back in the day. R doesn't like to be boxed in.

I have lots of the Harmony Fine Arts plans. I haven't really used them much. But, they are well thought out. I'm glad you are enjoying them!

CH1: Yes, I need to keep up with general tidiness and also have one more thing to decorate. I like to hang Christmas balls from our dining room window, but it takes awhile.

CH2: I don't have anything planned, but that sounds like a good idea.

Notebooking I did some FIAR notebooking with Hannah when she was little. She didn't love the process, but she did love looking back on the notebooks and fold n' learns.
I am not doing any notebooking with Logan - definitely not his thing. The girls both write one written narration a day and they are in composition notebooks.

Artist Study - I haven't purchased any of the units from Harmony Fine Arts, but I really love the Artist portfolios from Simply Charlotte Mason. I've known about them for awhile, but didn't want to invest financially because I thought I could put one together on my own. I could put a unit together, but I wasn't. I bought the "Monet" unit last spring and loved it! We are studying three different artists this year and it has totally been worth the cost. The prints are lovely and very well done. The biography is written well and interesting even thought it doesn't have any pictures. The guide also has a short description of each piece of art and points out different items of interest. We have gotten a lot out of these guides and best of all - I am actually doing picture study!

Composer Study - We are studying three a year. We studied Bach in the fall, and are studying Handel now. I'm not sure who we will study in the Spring. So far, I have just been checking out children's biographies from the library as well as CDs of their music. Ambleside Online has a nice list of composers and recommended pieces to listen too, which has helped. I also have used "Classics for Kids" which is a site with clips from a radio show that teaches about classical music. It is great! The clips are short and very interesting and informative.

- - - Updated - - -

so far today:
Bible reading
breakfast
started laundry
drove Dan to mechanic to pick up work car.

up next:
school
more laundry
cleaning
Dance class tonight

Loving, learning, and living in central VA with my adventurous husband of 14 years and our three children.

Cindy -- I think I have been using the same list for a couple weeks now

Today:

bake cookies - have to ...taking to party tonight

gather paper goods for party

wrap secret sister gift

wrap gift for party exchange

paperwork

photo books?? need to

dining table

party

If course I should have gotten up early this morning. I woke a few times in night and at time I should have gotten up. Closed my eyes stretching before getting up and fell sound asleep. So much for early but it was good sleep

Beautiful sunshine but COLD today. 36 feels like 25 now. High is only suppose to be 38!!
Ok not cold for some of y'all but it is for us!

Tonight is our hs group mom's Christmas party. Suppose to wear ugly sweater but I don't have one. Also doing games & gift exchange. And of course food...party type foods. I am taking spinach dip & Hawaiian bread (my family doesn't like this so I take to a party ) and cookies.

Hope everyone has a great day!!

Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative.. Think differently and positively.Wife to Brian and Mama to 20yo ds, 17yo ds

made a lunch and did the work drop- was wondering why my alarm went off so soon then remembered I had to get up to get dh to work by 8am!

wrote for a long time this morning- I hope to have a post published soon.

answered the phone- at least SIX times this morning Only one was a real call.

made breakfast

had the dishwasher emptied

did a bunch of stairs- ferrying things to where they go

worked with R on a press release- for plant science about her trip to nationals

got J set up with his math- he started in a new spiral today. Love the smooth paper in this one much better than his last. Woot! I write the problem or part of the problem for him for Fred. Otherwise, his work is everywhere. For some reason it also keeps him moving.

worked ahead in setting up his math problems- have to be careful with this because if I don't leave him enough room to work, he loses his MIND. So, two problems a page it is...

Ok...I have a few more pictures to take for this blog post. It got long and needs more pictures. Plus, my 19yo was like teens don't do listen to podcasts. His sister does and these posts have been super popular for me, so I'm moving ahead. But, he rained on my parade.

Then I need to meet up with the 10th grader and catch up with what he is doing before I tackle the fixing of the glasses.

Math - I'm not making much progress with Logan. In September, I decided to try "CM style math" but it isn't working out well. Probably because I'm not executing well. We are switching back to RSM and I think I may start working him through Fred. Maybe we will do that on Fridays? I'm not sure.
The "Zillions of practice problems" book for Decimals and Percents last night and I wish I would have had the Fractions one for Hannah. I will definitely get that for Ashlyn when she gets there. So far, "Decimals" is going well but we are only 3 chapters in!

HW - It looks like you are having a productive morning - good job!

Michelle - Have fun at your party! I love spinach dip - yum!

Paige - I hope all of your errand running is going well!

Cindy - Good job on getting things done today!

Loving, learning, and living in central VA with my adventurous husband of 14 years and our three children.